Our close friend and professional dancer, Olivia Judkins, had the amazing opportunity and experience performing with Riya Mahesh (Quiet Light) at Daisy Chain Fields Festival.
Join Olivia, in her favorite RAT BOI pieces, from rehearsals to the day of the festival.
PERFORMING AT DCF 🌼
"Riya actually reached out to my friend Sandi Denton about having dancers during her Daisy Chain set after seeing Sandi’s choreography work in a music video we were in together. I’ve been performing with Sandi for a few years now through the avant-garde dance troupe she started called The Rated Z Dancers.
This was a real one-of-one experience. We opened the entire festival & there was a really great turnout of punctual baddies :). It felt so special to be even a small part of this particular event.
Olivia Rodrigo and her team brought such care and attention to detail to the festival and treated all the artists so well… and ultimately for the benefit of phenomenal causes."
REHEARSALS
"We pulled it all together in less than a month which was ambitious and pretty much had to hit the ground running. Sandi did majority of the choreo outlining, and then we'd make changes together. Basically, it was just a lot of rehearsing, reworking, and rehearsing, then incorporating Riya into the mix, and eventually her bandmate Arlo Sims.
As far as the stage setup and wardrobe went, that was all Riya’s vision. We all wore these babydoll dresses by Weed Slut Studio- they made her a custom dress for the festival that was so beyond perfect."
FAV DANCE ATTIRE
"I mean, genuinely, I wear A LOT of RAT BOI haha. For dance specifically, I love the scoop back cami, sporty halter, easy bloomers, sporty shorts, the relaxed micro shorts, the cotton bodysuit, (the one-piece bathing suit doubles as a cute leotard), hell, I’ve even danced in the scoop back dress with some boyshorts underneath. I also love a tiny shorts big t-shirt moment."
A DANCERS ROLE
"Dance loves music and music loves dance; they are extremely symbiotic artforms. Having dancers on stage adds an extra layer of interaction to a performance that people are drawn to. It’s fun, and somewhat unexpected, especially for an indie ambient folk act.Riya has this understated, angelic, easeful and earnest Hope Sandoval thing going on. We were really just accessories to her dreaminess."
FESTIVAL MUST HAVES
"SPF, NATURAL FABRICS, SUNGLASSES/HAT. It isn’t the sexiest answer, but it is the key to your continued future sexiness."
BEHIND THE FESTIVAL
"Olivia Rodrigo is a stand-up gal. She went to everyone’s set for at least a few songs and set up all the artist trailers like a little village. Everyone was treated well – she created a really sweet community feeling. At the very end of the night there was an artist, friends & family afterparty, the entire experience was delightfully wholesome."
TAKEAWAYS
I feel BLESSED to have been able to partake in and witness this festival and all the wildly talented women that made it possible. I cannot express to you enough how pure the vibes were. Riya described it in an interview as “girl utopia” and it really was. Literally an all ages, multi-generational good time.
BEING A PART OF AN EVENT THAT RAISED 20 MILLION DOLLARS FOR GIRLS
"I mean, what do I even add to that – monumental. I certainly didn’t do any of the legwork - the DCF team chose such important and critical organizations to uplift. The festival did a beautiful job of highlighting the value and necessity of intersectionality, inclusivity, multi-generational insight, and our shared humanity through music and art."
FAVORITE ACTS
"I saw some Santigold, Doechii, Not for Radio, Chappel Roan, Olivia’s set with special guests Sarah McClachlan, Alanis Morisette, and Stevie! The Breeders sounded incredible. Kim Deal is an actual angel – she accidentally spit on me, which I’m going to take as a good omen for years to come."
ON PERFORMING
"Performing is a lot more fun for me now because the competition element is gone and I’m not having an existential crisis about where dance is supposed to fit in my life. At some point in my late teens, I was like “Oh, I don’t want to try to make this my job”, which was freeing.
Not all passions must be paychecks - you really can just enjoy doing something without the pressure to make a living out of it.Likewise, you can step away from, and revisit your interests as many times as you’d like and see what comes of it. What’s funny is when I started dancing with Sandi it was purely for the love of having a creative outlet - but it has, in fact, resulted in some paychecks.
I will also say, with age has come more confidence. 10/10 recommend aging."
